A's hold off Rangers in 9-8 marathon

Early onslaught enough, though Texas rallies late

ARLINGTON, Texas - Ah, the beauty of baseball in Arlington - run-fests that could get out of hand at any moment.

The A's shot out to a seven-run lead over their nearest division rivals on Friday, mashing three home runs in the process - and then they hung on for dear life as the Rangers came roaring back, coming away with a precarious 9-8 victory after a late bullpen meltdown.

"A win is a win, period," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "The eighth inning wasn't pretty - it kind of had a Friday the 13th feel to it."

The A's are a season-high 25 games over .500 and they increased their lead over Texas in the AL West to 4 1/2 games. They've won six of their past seven and 14 of their past 18. The Rangers, whose cause was hurt by a bad call by third-base umpire Andy Fletcher in the eighth inning, have dropped seven of their past eight and nine of 11.

The A's have scored 35 runs in the past three games, and on Friday, Yoenis Céspedes blasted a three-run homer to center field in the first inning and Josh Donaldson banged a solo shot in the third inning. Donaldson added a two-run double the following inning, and Brandon Moss hit his 27th homer in the sixth.

Donaldson reached base four times with his dad, Levon, watching him play for the first time. Levon Donaldson was in prison for most of his son's youth.

Oakland Athletics' Yoenis Cespedes and Coco Crisp (4) flex their muscles as they walk back to the dugout following Cespedes' three-run home run that came off a pitch from Texas Rangers' Derek Holland in the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 13, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. The shot scored Crisp and Josh Donaldson. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Oakland Athletics' Yoenis Cespedes and Coco Crisp (4) flex their muscles as they walk back to the dugout following Cespedes' three-run home run that came off a pitch from Texas Rangers' Derek Holland in the

Oakland Athletics' Yoenis Cespedes and Coco Crisp (4) flex their muscles as they walk back to the dugout following Cespedes' three-run home run that came off a pitch from Texas Rangers' Derek Holland in the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 13, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. The shot scored Crisp and Josh Donaldson. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Oakland Athletics' Yoenis Cespedes and Coco Crisp (4) flex their muscles as they walk back to the dugout following Cespedes' three-run home run that came off a pitch from Texas Rangers' Derek Holland in the

"It was fun. It was nice for him to be here and see that - that's the first time he's ever seen me in any sport," Donaldson said. "He was sitting right behind third base, and he's not shy. He likes to talk, so I heard him during the game."

"He done real good," Levon Donaldson said with a big grin after the game. "There's no telling what I was saying - I was cheering for my boy."

In the past 16 games, Donaldson is batting .383 with three homers, 14 runs and 12 RBIs, and he leads the team with 87 RBIs. Céspedes has driven in runs in a career-high seven straight games, and his 23 homers match his total from his superb rookie season. Moss' homers are a career high and lead the team.

When Brett Anderson started the eighth for the A's, they were up 9-2, but Anderson came out of the game with back spasms after walking the first two batters.

Anderson said he figures he'll be OK in a couple of days. "It's more frustrating putting guys in that situation," Anderson said of leaving men on for the rest of the bullpen to deal with.

The Rangers went on to score six runs that inning, all with two outs, with Ryan Cook walking in a run and giving up two-run singles to Elvis Andrus and Alex Rios. Sean Doolittle took over and gave up a base hit to Beltre - but Rios was thrown out trying to go to third. Replays showed he was safe, and Rios was ejected for arguing the call, as the A's lucked their way out of the inning.

"I was correct. I believe I was safe on that call," Rios said, calling it "a disappointing way to end a rally."

Doolittle worked the ninth, giving up a two-out pinch hit double to Robinson Chirinos before striking out Jurickson Profar to end the game. Melvin said he did not want to use Doolittle for just one out, and the matchups were good for him in the ninth inning, with a string of left-handed hitters scheduled. Melvin also wanted to have closer Grant Balfour available for Saturday's day game.

"To get a possible four-out save on the road, when it seemed they had all the momentum on their side, just that gave me all the confidence I needed to get it done," Doolittle said. "It kind of psyched me up."